TURNING POINT, OR END GAME?

First of all, can we relive the funniest quote ever on this blog?:

I only got to listen to the game on the radio so its hard to get an idea of where this went wrong. Here’s what I do know: Cougs are worse than UC Davis and South Dakota State, no better than Boise State and might have a chance at Portland State or New Hampshire. Any big names in there… I hear it snowed a foot in South Dakota last week.

Maybe we should just shut the blog down with that???? I certainly can’t follow that level of sexy genius..

The next six weeks are the most crucial facing Coug fans in long time….I honestly think we can survive 3-8 this year, if next year brings 9-3 or 8-4. The question is, how can we get from here (the hole) to there (the mountain)? Here are a few thoughts..

1) Heed the Rooster…if you’re going to gamble in the future, gamble NOW. But gamble in appropriate ways. On defense, if you’re going to blitz in the future, blitz NOW…If you’re going to kick the ball deep in the future, kick the ball deep NOW…If you’re going to make the transition from Mikey Price spread the field ball to ball control, then do it NOW..There simply is no reason to consistently throw on 2 and 10 if your RB has 140 yards–and its the 3rd quarter. There’s no reason to squib kick and give field position to your opponent–let them run the ball back themselves for 40 or 50 yards….There’s no reason to sit back and watch them pick apart your middle…throw 15 guys there and get beat on the bomb, but MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN and NEVER give up the middle of the field…

2) Re-Open the quarterback job. As my name suggests, I’m not a Brink fan. That said, Brink MAY be the best, best, best option that we have. I also think it is ludicrous to not start Brink against UCLA given a bad game and a half. But, if he’s not getting the job done by halftime, pull him. Give Swoggs another shot…after all, he lost the job due to injury…take a risk that the team may respond to the leadership he showed before….or at worse, throw Swoggs to the dogs and let him get MURDERED by CAL and USC and then bring back Brink IF Swogger fails…but give him a shot…if it does nothing else, it will QUELCH the team divisions that are sure to come and it will give a clear signal of whose the boss going into spring and next year…

3) Send Phluffy out to scour the country for kickers…it is MINDBOGGLING that we are so bad for two years in a row…we can point to our injuries and whatever excuses we can find, but we would have NEVER been better than 7-4 this year with our kicking game.. Case in point: we go to OT today if our kicker didn’t suck…

4)Carefully, carefully evaluate how much of our plight is because of injury–but don’t sit back and make excuses. It COULD be that with Rapoti, Hill, and Derting on the field we’re 5-0 and looking fat and sassy for this weekend. It COULD be that they come back for the home stretch and we win out against ASU, UO, and UW…..But more than anything, prepare for next year NOW. There’s too much at stake from recruiting, to the stadium, to the improving nature of the PAC-10. if you can’t win next year, then you have buried a program that two years ago was coming off of three STRAIGHT 10 win and top 10 finishes….

5) Its time for the real Bill Doba to stand up…if i’m him, I’ve already sent levy home crying…i’ve let Rosey know that his opinions about the QB and offensive schemes don’t mean sh&T. I’d let him know that this is my flipping team and THIS is what we’re going to do against UCLA if you can’t do it, then start looking for another job. Ditto to Akey and everyone else…

UCLA will be in the Top 10 and everyone will be watching them….Saturday will be the first step in answering which way this program is headed….we’ll learn a lot about the character of the program…Lets hope we show something to hang a hat on…

GO SONICS